One of the top sources of stress for people like me and you, as we strive towards becoming our highest selves (and discover what we were put on this planet to do) is feeling as though we’re “off our purpose.”
On the wrong track.
In the wrong place.
Believing that you’re off purpose, even just a little bit, can be stressful and overwhelming enough to send your mind off to the races, seeking a better place, strategy or line of work.
What I want to instill in you today is the wonderful truth that, in fact, you CAN’T get off your purpose – even if you tried. As the old Roman quote goes, “The fates lead him who will; him who won’t, they drag.”
Can you relate to a time in your life when this happened? It’s the classic first stage of the “hero’s journey” where the hero refuses the call. Then, the safety net is burned behind you, and you’re forced forward into the terrifying wilderness of your heart’s true calling.
No matter how much you think you are “screwing up,” “playing small,” or “avoiding your true path or potential,” know that you are indeed being marched forward towards what you came here to do. The fact is, you can’t get off your true path, whether you like it or not.
Here are 4 points to prove it:
1. Experiencing what you DON’T want clarifies what you DO want.
Sometimes we spend months (or even years) in a place that we know in our hearts isn’t where we truly want to be. Whether it’s a job, a relationship, or some kind of project or direction we’re pursuing. It’s easy at this point to beat yourself up, but the truth is you came here to MIX IT UP. We must experience what we DON’T want, in order to know what it is that we DO want. It is only through contrast that we are able to gain clarity.
- Sometimes you have to experience “selling out” before you can go on to truly be authentic.
- Sometimes you have to work a job you hate in order to appreciate work that makes you truly come alive.
Suddenly the time spent “off your path” (the job/relationship/whatever) becomes an invaluable source of wisdom that you needed to go through – serving you over the long term on your overall path.
2. Your “superpower” ain’t going nowhere.
The second reason why you literally can’t get off your path is because your unique, inborn “superpower” gift never disappears.
In the book “Now, Discover Your Strengths,” Marcus Buckingham teaches us that we all have our own unique “four-lane highways,” or areas of genius. And these gifts aren’t going anywhere. You would have to strain REALLY hard to repress it and push it down, and yet the moment you let down your guard, your gift spontaneously returns. For example, if you’re born for comedy, you CAN’T STOP cracking jokes. Even if you do “go off your path,” that gift ain’t going nowhere and will continue to find expression.
3. You’re figuring it out more and more each day.
Whenever you find yourself believing that you aren’t making any progress or are taking steps backwards, know that in truth you’re figuring it out more and more each day.
- You’re clarifying, refining, deepening, and expanding into your true purpose.
- Things are happening behind the scenes of your understanding, even when it seems like nothing’s happening at all.
Through each challenge, each season, each interaction, and each relapse… you’re understanding this whole passion process better, and gaining more awareness about your gifts. It’s all contributing to getting you closer and closer to your alignment and your unique path.
Look at how much you’ve learned and grown in the last year. In the last 5 years. You are 100% on your path, the train is right on time and you are making powerful step-by-step progress.
4. That which you seek is seeking you.
As Rumi puts it, “That which you seek is seeking you.” As I like to say, your purpose is beating a path directly to your doorstep whether you like it or not.
When I quit my job and set out on my own to start pursuing this line of work, the truth is it didn’t take any kind of superhuman courage or bravery. No, actually the pain and resistance had reached such a feverish boiling point that all I did was obey the inevitable pull of the “Great Magnet.” Another way of looking at it is that I couldn’t NOT quit my corporate job – even if I tried.
It’s the same for all of us. It seems that there is indeed a kind of gravitational pull on your life and on your career, and it’s pulling you closer and closer to your highest excitement, fused with your unique genius. And it’s happening all on its own. It’s exciting to know that your passions and your destiny are calling your name, and there’s not much that you can do about it.
So relax. Breathe. Soften your body. Know that you’re going to get there, and that your purpose is coming to find you. When you come from that place of ease and flow and expectancy, it makes the journey much more fun – and it’s a place where synchronicity can better find you.
